The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: You have half forgotten many a famous scene that you travelled far
to look upon. You cannot clearly recall the sublime peak of Mont
Blanc, the roaring curve of Niagara, the vast dome of St. Peter's.
The music of Patti's crystalline voice has left no distinct echo in
your remembrance, and the blossoming of the century-plant is dimmer
than the shadow of a dream. But there is a nameless valley among
the hills where you can still trace every curve of the stream, and
see the foam-bells floating on the pool below the bridge, and the
long moss wavering in the current. There is a rustic song of a
girl passing through the fields at sunset, that still repeats its
far-off cadence in your listening ears. There is a small flower
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